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5 tips for neurodivergent travelers experiencing flight delays

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5 tips for neurodivergent travelers experiencing flight delays

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  • Neurodivergent travelers and those with non-visible disabilities can find holiday travel especially challenging due to unpredictable situations and environments.
  • Packing distractions, practicing travel scenarios at home, and understanding your or your travel companion’s needs are good ways to prepare for a trip.
  • Travelers should research airport amenities and services to better understand available resources.

Holiday travel brings crowds and unpredictability to the nation’s airports, which can be frustrating and stressful for anyone. But for neurodivergent travelers and those with other non-visible disabilities, it can be especially trying.

“The biggest challenge is unknown timelines, unknown procedures – it’s the unknown,” Alan Day, co-founder and CEO of Autism Double-Checked, told USA TODAY.

If you’re getting ready to take to the skies this holiday and have special accessibility or adaptability needs, or you are traveling with someone who does, here are five ways to make the trip go a little smoother. But remember, these aren’t blanket solutions. Every situation is different.

1. Practice at home

One of the best things to do to get ready for a trip, especially for children on the autism spectrum, is to sample solutions at home, Day said. It’s important to do it long before you get to the airport.

“For a kid on the spectrum, you don’t know in advance if they’re going to tolerate it, so try it at home,” Day added.

Things like EarPlanes earplugs may work for some to help adjust to cabin pressure, while others may find them uncomfortable to wear. Meanwhile, hard candy or gum may also be a solution for some travelers that’s less palatable to others.

“You are the expert when it comes to your child. Think of how your child is going to react in any given situation. That is universal; think about your child as a unique individual,” Day said.

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2. Pack accordingly

Bringing distractions is helpful for travelers of all abilities, and that’s especially true for neurodivergent flyers.

“Travel with more than one attention holder,” Day said, whether it’s books, movies, video games or a toy you or your child especially likes. “Just have things ready to rotate so you won’t run out of things that will capture their attention.”

He added that it’s a good idea to pack these distractions in a personal item, which goes under the seat in front, rather than a carry-on bag that has to be stored in the overhead bin to ensure access throughout the flight.

3. Advocate for yourself or your travel companion

The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program is active at many airports and can be a way for travelers with all kinds of disabilities to get assistance.

Lynn Smith, the program’s U.S. regional director, told USA TODAY that wearing a sunflower lanyard in participating airports signals to staff that you’re open to being approached and asked if you need assistance.

“If you feel like you need support at the airport, I would put the symbol on. I would travel with it. You will probably be approached if you see an airline employee, and they will ask if they can help you,” she said. “If they need any help, great. If they don’t want any attention, they can put it in their pocket.”

If you need extra assistance for any reason, advocates emphasize it’s OK and, in fact, encouraged to ask for what you need.

For example, Day said many neurodivergent travelers may struggle with imprecise information, making interruptions like flight delays especially stressful.

“Ask for as precise information as you can get, but take that with a pinch of salt,” he said, because flight delay schedules can change and, especially for parents with autistic children, you don’t want to set expectations only to have them shift again.

4. Plan ahead

Both Day and Smith emphasized that getting as much information as possible about waypoints on your trip ahead of time is key.

“When you’re traveling, I would go onto the airport website, and I think they probably already do this, but I would look for: do they have the sunflower program? Do they have quiet spaces? Do they have comfort dogs? See what the services are, see where the locations are,” Smith said.

Day added that contingency plans for any possible hiccups are also a good idea.

5. Avoid connecting flights when possible

Day also said it’s best to avoid connecting flights as much as possible because fewer flights mean fewer opportunities for something to go awry.

“Connecting flights are never great. They are a bigger challenge for neurodiverse kids,” he said. “If you can, avoid connecting flights.”

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.

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